Punching attachment for printing-presses



(N0 Model.)

W. 0. DILLINGHAM PUNGHING ATTACHMENT FOR PRINTING PRESSBS. No. 578,219

Patented Mar. '2, 1897.

Witnesses UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ILLIAM G. DILLINGHAM, or Los ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

PUNCHING ATTAC HMENTFOR PRINTI'NG- PRESSES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 578,219, dated March 2, 1897.

Application filed December 12, 1895. Serial No. 571,946. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM C. DILLING- HAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Printing-Press Punch, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide simple and convenient means for neatly and conveniently punching holes in programs, cards, and other sheets designed to be fastened together with ribbons, cords, or other fasteners; also, to provide for accurate adjustment of the appliance for punching and printing paper and cardboard of different thicknesses.

By means of my invention I am able to quickly and easily apply at any position on a platen-printingpress tympan a punch which is arranged to receive between its jaws the sheet to be printed and is also arranged to be operated by the furniture of the form in the press to punch a hole in the sheet at each impression by the punch. By this novel machine the punching and printing may be done simultaneously. This punching machine comprising the combination of the punch with the tympan of the press allows the workman to easily gage the work so that the holes will be punched at the place desired. The ordinary gage-pins in the tympan can be used and the attachment can be placed anywhere on the tympan desired, so as to punch the hole in the right place when the sheet rests on the gage-pins.

A further object of my invention is to provide a perforator in which the cores punched by the die-pins will be given absolute free escape from the die-holes and to so arrange the parts as to avoid all liability of clogging of the die-holes.

My invention comprises an automatic punch, and comprises a very cheap and simple attachment which can be applied to the tympan-bed of any platen printing-press and which will punch a hole in each sheet at the same time of taking the impression of the type, so that the ordinary operation of printing the sheet turns the sheet out both printed and punched ready for binding.

I am aware that it has heretofore been proposed to apply to the tympan-bed of a printing-press a perforator for perforating bankchecks and like printed matter, but my invention differs materially from said appliance in various features, which will be hereinafter more clearly setforth; and myinvention is especially distinguished from any appliance to be attached directly to the tympanbed in that my appliance is adapted for attachment, by paste or glue, directly to the tympan-sheet and is therefore more readily and easily applied in the different positions necessary for punching holes in the Various kinds of Work requiring such holes. My i11- vention is to be distinguished in that it is not a perforator, but is a punch for punching holes of considerable diameter at places in the sheets, as required, for the purposes above mentioned. Its ready ad justability as to position and as to the thickness of the paper or card to be printed and punched notably distinguishes it from the printing-press perforator above mentioned.

I employ in a printing-press the combina tion of the tympan, the furniture of-the form in the press, and a punch connectedwith the tympan and adapted and arranged to receive between its jaws the sheet to be printed, and arranged to be engaged by the furniture of the form when an impression of the type is being taken and to be thereby operated to punch a hole in the sheet. In practice I attach the punch to the tympan-bed by the tympan-sheet.

My invention also comprises other features hereinafter described and claimed.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention.

Figure 1 is a fragmental view showing part of the tympan-bed of aprinting-press embodying my invention. A sheet is shown ready to be inserted to be printed and punched. Dotted lines indicate it fully inserted. Fig. 2 is a fragmental longitudinal mid-section showing the sheet fully inserted ready to be printed and punched. Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the attachment detached. Fig. 4 is a fragmental View of the punch attachment, the upper jaw being removed to show the die-pin and the sheet guiding and lifting spring, a part of which is broken away to show the pin.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a double punch for carrying out my invention. Fig. (i is a perspective view of the double punch. The upper jaw is broken away to show the punches and the sheet-lifting spring. Fig. '7 is a crosssection on line 7 7, Fig. 1.

In carrying out my invention I have pro vided a small attachment which can be applied directly to the tympan and fastened to the tympan-sheet in the position desired, thus making of any platen printing-press a punching-machine which is very easily and readily adjustable to punch the holes where needed.

I11 the drawings, A indicates the attachment. B indicates the tympan-bed. C inclicates the tympan, and D indicates the furniture of the form in the press, against which furniture the upper jaw or die-plate engages to be operated toward the die-pin to punch the hole.

D indicates the type.

E indicates the sheet to be printed and punched.

The attachment A comprises a base-plate 1, provided with a die-pin 2, a sheet guiding and lifting spring 3, fastened to the base-plate and projecting forward beyond the die-pin and arranged to normally stand flush with or but slightly above the end of the die-pin and bent down at its front end below the level of the top of said die-pin, so as to form a guide to guide the sheet over the pin when the sheet is being inserted between the jaws of the punch and to barely lift the sheet from the pin after the hole has been punched, an upper jaw or die-plate 4, carried by resilient means, and such means connected with the base-plate and arranged to normally hold the jaws of the punch open, but allow them to be forced together.

In the preferred form the upper jaw or dieplate 4- is integral with a spring l, which is formed integral with the base-plate 1. That is to say, the base-plate and the die-plate and its spring are composed of a U-shaped strip of spring-steel provided at its ends, respectively, with the jaws of the punch. The upper arm of the U is made thick to form the die-plate at the free end, which is arranged to spring away from the baseplate, and is provided at such thick free end with a hole 5, in which the die-pin 2 fits, and is also provided with suitable means for engaging the furniture of the form in the press when the impression is being made. For this purpose the die-plate is preferably provided with an adjustable furniture-engaging device comprising a pressure adjusting screw 6, arranged near the perforation in the die-plate. The screw can be adjusted according to the height of the furniture in the form, so as to punch different thicknesses of paper and cardboard. I have formed the thick jaw or die-plate 4 by doubling the end of the upper member or spring 4: upon itself. I have brazed a reinforcing-piece of steel 4 in the loop thus formed to give greater thickness to the upper die-plate, but any suitable way of forming these appliances may be adopted.

The base-plate may be provided with two or more die-pins, and in such case the dieplate 4 is provided with a corresponding number ofholes to receive the die-pins. Figs. 5 and 6 indicate an attachment for punching two holes. These holes are arranged in a line extending across the punch.

In practice, to apply the attachment to the press for punching the holes at the same time the impression is taken a seat 0 for the baseplate is cut into the tympan and is made deep enough to seat the base-plate, leaving the top of the die-pin slightly above the surface of the tympan. To allow the sheet to be fed without interfering with the attachment, the spring 3 normally stands with its upper face flush with or slightly above the top of the diepin to guide the sheet over the die-pin. Its end is curved down and rests on the top sheet of the tympan, and its upper face is preferably beveled across the end, so that the sheet will readily slide over it.

In practical operation, when the impression of the type is being made and the dieplate is pressed by the furniture in the form toward the die-pin the face of the die-plate will press the sheet against the guide-spring 3, thus pressing the same down far enough to allow the die-pin to pass through the sheet and make a clean-cut hole and to push the bur into the hole 5, whence it passes out on the other side of the die-plate. Then when the pressure is relieved the spring 3(3) forces the sheet off of the die-pin, and the sheetcan then be withdrawn.

By attaching the base-plate having the diepin to the platen of the press and by providing the die-plate with a projection (such as the adjusting-screw) to engage with the furniture of the form the form is thus prevented from coming directly into contact with the die-plate and thus closing the die-hole 5 while the punch is in operation, which would prevent the ready escape from the die-1101c of the cores punched from the perforated sheet and would materially increase the power required to operate the punch, since if the cores do not have free escape from the die-hole while the punch is in operation the punch mustnot only punch the sheet, but must also compress between the punch and the furniture .of the form the plug of cores already in the die-hole; also, by my arrangement after each core is punched the furniture of the form is removed from all contact with the die-plate, and those cores which have been pushed from the diehole are free to fall from the press. This cannot be the case if the die-plate is secured to the tympan, since the tympan will necessarily be at all times beneath the die-hole, and although the dieplate maybe recessed on its under face to provide for the escape of the cores the cores are liable to bind together and to form a plug which'will bridge the recess and cause the die-hole to become clogged so as to cause the punch to become inoperative or require excessive power to operate it.

The guide-sprin g 3 is made adjustable along the attachment, so that it can be made to project more or less beyond the end of the attachment. I prefer the guide-spring to project something over half an inch beyond the die-pin, but in some instances it may be desired to place the printed matter closer to the hole punched in the sheet. Ordinarily the spring will project as indicated in the drawings, but when it is desired to leave only a slight margin between the printing and the hole the spring can be slid back out of the way of the type. For this purpose the spring 3 is provided with a slot 7, and a screw 8 is passed through the slot and screwed into the base-plate 1.

9 indicates a washer between the spring and the head of the screw.

10 10 indicate side projections or wings at the sides of the attachment by which the attachment can be fastened to the tym pan either by the tympan-sheets or by paper pasted on the tympan and extending over the wings. These Wings are preferably integral with the spring 3, and the spring and wings are stamped to form a channel 11, which fits upon the baseplate, thus to hold the spring against lateral displacement.

In an attachment having but one die-pin the spring is provided with a slot 12, through which the die-pin can work. In the form shown in Figs. 5 and 6 the spring works between the die-pins.

The hole 13 in the springmember 4, which carries the upper jaw or die-plate, allows a screw-driver to be used to turn the screw 8.

In case it is desired to punch sheets without printing them at the same time, the attachment will be arranged in the press in practically the same Way as though it were intended to punch and print the sheets at the same time.

14 14 indicate gage-pins set in the tympan in the ordinary way, and these or any other suitable gaging devices may be used at the option of the operator to hold the sheet in position while being operated upon.

The punch can be used for punching holes in cards or paper without having a form of type in press, and when using the attachment for punching holes in sheets or cards without at the same time printing them it is not necessary to cut the tympan and insert the die-plate, but simply set the punch in position on the surface of the tympan and secure it in place by paper extending over the wings and pasted to the tympan, so as to hold the punch in position. This will be readily understood by printers without illustration. The furniture used in looking up the form must be so placed in the chase as to engage the adjusting-screw of the upper jaw to operate such jaw to punch the sheet or card.

Now, having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by'Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of a base-plate provided with a die-pin and adapted to be fastened to the tympan of a press; a guide-spring fastened to the base-plate and projecting forward beyond the die-pin and arranged to normally stand substantially flush with the diepin and bent down at its front end to form a guide to carry a sheet over the die-pin; adieplate provided with a hole to fit the die-pin and adapted to move toward and from the die-pin and the guide-spring; and means to normally hold the die-plate retracted from the die-pin and guide-spring.

2. A printing-press punch comprising a strip of spring-steel doubled upon itself to form a base-plate and a die-plate, the baseplatebeing provided withadie-pin and the diepla-te being provided with a hole to fit the diepin, the die-plate being provided on its outer face with a projection to engage the furniture of the form to prevent such form from coming into direct contact with the face of the dieplate and closing the hole in the die-plate while the punch is being operated.

3. The combination of the base-plate provided with the die-pin; the die-plate provided with the hole to fit the die-pin; the spring connecting the die-plate with the base-plate; the sheet guiding and lifting spring fastened to the base-plate and the side projections for fastening the base-plate to the tympan of the press, substantially as set forth.

4. Aprinting-press punch attachment comprising the base-plate adapted to be fastened to the tympan of the press and provided with the die-pin; the die-plate provided with the hole to fit the die-pin; and the sheet guiding and lifting spring adjustably fastened to the base-plate and arranged substantially flush with the top of the die-pin.

5. A printing-press punch comprising a strip of steel doubled upon itself 'to form a base-plate and a die-plate, the base-plate being provided with a die-pin and adapted to be fastened to the tympan of a press, and the die-plate being thickened at its free end and having such thickened portion provided with a die-hole to fit the die-pin, and also provided with an adjusting-screw screwed into such free end, projecting therefrom and adapted to be engaged by the furniture of the form' to prevent such furniture from closing the diehole while the punch is being operated.

W. C. DILLINGHAM.

IIO 

